The star, real name Christopher Sarantakos, headlines Cirque Du Soleil production BeLIEve at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Sin City, but he called off this weekend's (24-25Oct15) performances to deal with a family crisis.

Criss made the announcement on Twitter.com, writing, "In light of a family emergency the news I was going to announce this weekend will be postponed. Thank you xc (sic)". He then posted a photo of himself cuddling his infant son, and thanked fans for their "thoughts and prayers".

A statement from the show's production company later confirmed that Criss' shows will be put on hold until 1 November (15), as he has flown to Australia to be with his 20-month-old son Johnny, who has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

It is the first time the star has missed a show in more than 3,000 performances.

According to the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, this is the first time that the illusionist has publicly confirmed he has a child. Reports suggest he married the toddler's mother a year ago, but they split over the summer (15).